Histoire des Avanturiers qui se sont signalez dans les Indes contenant ce qu´ils on fait de plus remarquable depuis vignt années by [Esquemeling; Oexmelin] Exquemelin, Alexander Olivier - 1686

The rare first French edition, of what´s arguably the most influential buccaneering account; from the Hamsworth library. 1686. Paris. Jacques Lefebvre. Two volumes in 12mo (164 mm x 87 mm). 1 [blank] + 15 ff. + 342 + 12 ff. + 1 [blank]; 1 [blank] + 3 ff. + 384 + 12 ff. Contemporary calf, spine with raised bands, richly gilt and lettered, worn but still an attractive binding in its original condition. A fine copy, gently browned as often and with a few foxing spots, second title water stained, short tears to folding plates. First French edition. Besides its rarity, this edition is also important for its illustrations don´t derive from either the Dutch original or two earliest English editions. The translation was prepared by Frontigniéres, from Exquemelin´s own manuscript; the first edition in all was published in Dutch in 1678 under the title De Americaensche Zee-Roovers. The success was immediate, translations followed and editions continued until the 18th century. Exquemelin (1645 – 1707) was a French Huguenot, in 1666 made sale towards the Antilles, his ship was allegedly attacked by pirates and after reaching Tortuga he was apparently sold to a local who subsequently sold to a surgeon of some sort, he would teach him his office and eventually grant him his freedom against payment. At an uncertain date, Exquemelin became a privateer; as a pirate, he participated in the raid of Maracaibo in 1669 and that of Panama in 1670 under Morgan. His experiences and observations were concentrated in his memoires. The detail with which Exquemelin describes the lootings, plundering, life and adventures of these seamen is, and was unequaled for a long time. The illustrations include seven folding maps and views; the Maracaibo and Panama maps closely follow the Dutch, a large folding map of the Spanish Main is entirely new to this edition. The text from this edition was substantially augmented by the editor, Journel; he is also responsible for shading light onto the term "buccaneer". Provenance: the Hamsworth copy (lot 6479, Sotheby´s, December 1949, 2/10/- GBP).